First person
Bonnie So Yuen-han, head of international relief services for the Hong Kong Red Cross, has visited the tsunami-affected areas of India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. She is back for a three-day forum starting today on how best to help victims
The first country I went to was India. I got there in mid-January, about three weeks after the tsunami. All the sadness, all the crying seemed to be over. It struck me how brave people were and how determined they were to rebuild their lives as soon as possible.
I met one family in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. I tried to talk to the daughters, aged 11 and 12, but the only English they seemed able to say was 'tsunami came, tsunami came'. So we communicated using drawings.
They managed to tell me their mother had grabbed a tree but they lost their father and they never found his body. Because of how we were communicating, the conversation was interesting and funny. We were talking about something sad but because of the language barrier, we laughed and smiled. Sometimes you don't need to feel too sorry for the victims. They have a strong capacity to face the future. They are happy sometimes to talk to you so that you understand what they need.
I saw some terrible damage in India but the people there were not as sad as I imagined ... They told me they wanted to rebuild their lives and wanted practical help like replacement fishing boats and nets. They want to earn money ... They were positive and wanted to face the future rather than sitting and crying, and asking for everything.
The most recent place I visited was Indonesia about a week ago and the scenes I saw were quite a shock. I have been working for the Hong Kong Red Cross for 14 years and I have seen many disaster areas before but in Indonesia it is huge. It was so sad.
Many people are living in camps. I visited one camp where about 3,000 people were living in tents and the environment and the hygiene isn't that good. Every family told me a similar story. The tsunami came. It went up rapidly and they grabbed what they could - they grabbed trees and they grabbed hold of buildings. Several minutes later they began looking for children and for relatives. Some they found, some are still missing. The stories are all so similar.
They had sad expressions when they told me their stories but not as upset as I imagined ... They didn't cry, they just told the story in a straightforward way to let me know exactly what the situation was.
When I asked, 'What is your plan for the future?' They couldn't answer me. When I asked the people living in tents when they thought they would have a permanent home, they couldn't tell me. Many have lost livelihoods.
There is a lot of relief in the area now, but the difficult part is how to rebuild in the coming five to 10 years. Many people don't want to be dependent on assistance. They want to live a dignified life. Fishermen want people to give them the materials so they can earn money again. They don't want to have to depend on others.
Sometimes I wonder that if there was such a disaster in Hong Kong, would people be brave enough to face up to the future? I really can't imagine how people in Hong Kong would react in such a situation.
But Hong Kong people have shown they are very generous. This is the first time I have seen so much money flooding in. We have raised $500 million. It is the largest amount of money we have received in the past 15 years and this is why the forum starting in Hong Kong today is important.
We have to plan for reconstruction and the way forward for the people affected by the tsunami so that we spend the money in the most effective way.
